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Moses Martin Sanders (1803-1878)
}} Biography Moses Martin Sanders, was born 1803 in Georgia. Moses' parents David Sanders, born 1774 and Mary Allred were born in Randolph, North Carolina. They lived in Georgia (where Moses was born) to Tennessee which had just opened up for settlement. Moses was a handsome man of English ancestry, and there he met 15 year old Amanda Faucett of Maury County Tennessee. They were married, 12 January 1826. Both Moses and Amanda came from homes that owned slaves, therefore they had plenty of colored help to do the heavy work. Their first two children were born at their first home in Maury County, Tennessee, but circa 1829 they moved to Illinois. Illinois Settlement Moses and Amanda moved to Montgomery County, Illinois (another "new frontier") along with Moses' father, David, and uncles and families. This is where John Franklin was born, 5 March 1830. Amanda had a daughter, Rebecca Ann, born 5 March 1832; two years later, another daughter, Martha Brown, 5 May 1834. Amanda was 24 and Moses was 31 years old, Martha was their fifth child. The Mormon missionaries taught the young couple and their family the gospel and introduced them to the Book of Mormon in 1834. The Church was in its infancy. 28 January 1835, Elder William Joy baptized Moses and Amanda. When they joined the Church, they gave up their slaves and did their own heavy work. Other family members from the Sanders, Allred, and Faucett's also joined the Church at the same time. Amanda had a son, David Walker, 1 September 1835, named after grandfather David Sanders. The family felt they should be with the main body of the saints and moved to Missouri. This was a terrible time in Church history. As the family arrived in Clay County, Missouri, the Saints were driven out by mobbing and persecution. The community felt the Saints to be a threat of political and financial gain, as they were industrious and prosperous people. Persecutions followed, and in three years they were on their way again. Missouri Troubles The Sanders family was among the first to help found the new Mormon Settlement at Far West, Missouri in 1836. They lived there until the great expulsion in 1838/1839. Nauvoo Period Moses bought several small log cabins on the waterfront on Water Street. (Nauvoo, Block 155, Blk 158, Blk 153, Blk 143, Blk 145, Blk 146) Joseph Smith was living in Quincy with friends, and Moses gave Joseph Smith a log cabin, Block 155, near the Mississippi River. In 1840, the Sanders family were among the first to move to Commerce, living in a log cabin until Moses built a home. (Block 145, lot 3 and across the street block 158, a small portion of lot 2.) This small lot was used for the horses and had a small cabin on it. Joseph Smith's log cabin was on block 155, and the Mansion House block 147, only a block from the Sanders home. Moses also had a large section of land in the country, southeast of Nauvoo. This was a hay field for his stock. Vol 6., P. 150 of Church History, Lists Moses Martin as one of 40 men chosen in 1843 by Joseph Smith, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, to be city policement to guard the city night and day against the enemy, as nearby mobs were giving the residents a bad time. Joe Duncan Another Sanders family tale is that Moses Martin was a close neighbor of the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and by him Joseph acquired his famous horse, Joe Duncan. (Source: Joseph Smith History Project) Moses worked as a policeman in Nauvoo, as well as on the building of the Temple. He was ordained a Seventy and lived very near the home of Joseph Smith. Like many in Nauvoo, Moses knew Joseph personally. Moses owned a beautiful horse. It was spirited and unruly. Even his wife feared to take care of the horse when Moses was away. Then one day Joseph said to Joseph riding Duncan Moses, “Brother Sanders, give the horse to me and I'll promise that you will never lose by it." Moses Martin replied, "I would, but I am afraid that he may hurt you." Then the Prophet said, "No, he would never hurt me." So Moses tossed him the rope and said, "He is yours." Joseph rode that horse on parade in the Nauvoo Legion. And the painting we often see today of the Nauvoo Legion is one of Joseph riding “Joe Duncan.” The story goes that he was named, not respectfully, after Joseph Duncan, the governor of Illinois from 1834 to 1838. So the next time you see this image, think of the Tennessean horse on which he rode. Winters Quarters On Jan 1, 1846, Moses and Amanda got their temple endowments at the Nauvoo Temple, which he had helped to build. The Mormons were forced to evacuate soon afterwards. Before leaving Nauvoo, Moses married a second wife, Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898). The Sanders joined them at Pigeon Creek, Iowa for the winter of 1846/47. Here he worked on a saw mill project. It was here that they lost their four-year old daughter, Eliza. Here also their oldest son, Richard Twiggs Sanders (1828-1858), joined the Mormon Battalion and traveled to California, never to be seen by his parents again. In 1848, Moses traveled to Salt Lake with his second wife Mary and her children. Amanda joined them in 1850, as she had older children to help her travel. Utah Settlements The family first settled in West Jordan. On 20 Jan 1848, Moses signed a petition to the US Government to create a post office for Council Bluffs, Iowa. Family & Marriage 1st Marriage: Amanda Fausett Amanda Faucett was born 6 May 1810 in West Columbia, Maury, Tennessee. Her father, Richard Faucett born 1769 of Orange County, North Carolina and the son of David and Eleanor Faucett, also of Orange, North Carolina. Her mother was Mary McKee, of Orange, North Carolina; daughter of Alexander and Mary McKee. Amanda was the 5th child of 13 children. Moses was a handsome man of English ancestry, and there he met 15 year old Amanda Faucett of Maury County Tennessee. They were married, 12 January 1826. Their first son, William, was born when Amanda was 16 years old. He was born in Bedford Count, Tennessee, 4 December 1826 and died 8 months later, 27 August 1827. Ricahrd Twiggs, their 2nd son, was born 31 May 1828. (Richard was named after Amanda's father) 2nd Marriage: to Mary Jane * Mary Jane Sparks Sanderson Sanders (1809-1898) In 1845 Nauvoo, Moses Martin befriended Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898), a widow with three children that had recently arrived from St Louis to bury her husband, James Sanderson (1804-1845). She married Moses Martin in 21 Mary 1847 (a second polygamous union) but they did not have any children. When the Sanders family left Nauvoo with the exodus, they settled at Pigeon Grove, near Council Bluffs and here Moses worked in a saw pit during the year of 1847. The saw was run by hand and was a very slow, hard process. In 1846, Mary Jane's oldest son, Henry Weeks Sanderson (1829-1896), had joined the The Mormon Battalion, along with his good friend, Richard Twiggs Sanders (1828-1858). Before he left, he loaned Moses Martin his team and several head of oxen. So in 1848, Moses, Mary Jane, Mary Jane's daughter Marie and Moses' son David, age 14, left for Utah to prepare a home in Salt Lake Valley for the others who would follow as soon as they were able. Vital Records 1870 US Federal Census Household #1 in Washington, Washington Co, Utah - 6-Jul-1870. * Sanders, Moses M/66 - Ocp Farmer - Head - Moses Sr. - B: Georgia * Sanders, Imminent F/60 - Ocp Keeping House - Mother - B: Tenn * Sanders, Moses M/17 - Ocp: Work on Farm - Son - B: Utah References * Journal Digest of Henry Weeks Sanderson - Henry Weeks Sanderson (1829-1896), a stepson of Moses Martin, kept a highly detailed journal, recording many life events for the Sanders and Sanderson Families * - Find-A-Grave Memorial #25530356